(Posted 11/25/09
www.RemnantNewspaper.com) MSNBC’s
“Hardball” used to be an occasionally amusing program whose front
man, Chris Matthews, made a name for himself by poking fun at
puffed-up politicians. But Matthews also likes to refer to himself
as an enlightened “Catholic” (whatever!) when in fact it would be
far
more accurate to describe him as a rank Cafeteria Catholic.
The Second Vatican Council itself is far too traditional for guys
like Matthews, who call themselves “Catholic” even though they’ve
detached themselves from much of any obligation to follow Catholic teachings
with which they happen to disagree. Liberation, anyone?

Over the years
Matthews’ shtick of not allowing a guest the basic courtesy of
finishing a sentence has devolved into unfunny tirades and caustic
sarcasm. Guests are bombarded with leading questions they never get
a chance to fully answer while the tactics of a schoolyard bully
ensure the host of Hardball always gets the last word. How MSNBC
manages to sell advertising on programs hosted by such boors is
anyone’s guess.

I finally quit watching this Leftist egomaniac Matthews spew
partisan positions so utterly antithetical to the Creed he’s always
quick to claim as his own. He might as well wear a sign: “I’m a
Catholic! Don’t let my frequent departures from Church teaching fool
you.”

During a
recent futile attempt to find something—anything—halfway
informative to watch on TV, I accidently landed on one of Matthews’
Hardball
harangues. Normally I’d just move on but my interest was
piqued when I noticed his victim this time was the Most Reverend
Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island (shepherd to
over 620,000 Catholics).

I stayed
tuned to see what sort of abuse His Excellency would be forced to
endure. I didn’t have to wait long. Matthews began browbeating the
bishop for “interfering” with another "Catholic" windbag’s efforts
to use tax dollars to subsidize the extermination of still more
pre-born Americans. Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island had
recently opened a can of worms by revealing that Bishop Tobin had
privately admonished him two years ago to avoid taking Holy
communion. Why? Because young Patrick had already
distinguished himself through a pro-abortion voting record. He
is, after all, a Kennedy!

In other
words, the Bishop had been doing his job which was too much for
young Mr. Kennedy who decided to make political hay out of the
Bishop’s private communication, thinking nothing of
dragging a Catholic shepherd into the pit where media snakes like
Chris Matthews could have their way with him.

A chip off the
old
block, the young Kennedy learned well from father Ted. He
evidently wants to be his own bishop, picking and choosing which
dogmas he'll follow. And he insists that he retains the right to
call himself a Catholic and approach the communion rail at will—no
matter how he votes or what public scandal he gives.

On the
November 23rd broadcast of Hardball, Chris Matthews
chastised
not Kennedy, of course, but Bishop Tobin for intruding into the
“sacred realm” of politics in “Ama-a-a-rica” where God and His
ministers have no place. Repeatedly, he badgered the Bishop with
that stale, old canard that pro-lifers want to jail every young
woman who was ever browbeaten by a degenerate society into having
an abortion. He seemed desperate to cajole the Bishop into calling
for another Inquisition much like the fictitious one Chris knows all
about from the movies.

Astounded by
these insults, Bishop Tobin finally was able to remind Matthews that
while he is not a legislator or a jailor he is a Successor of the
Apostles and thus has a moral duty to privately admonish Patrick
Kennedy and protect innocent life. With the few seconds he was
allowed to actually speak, the Bishop also wondered aloud why
Kennedy had gone public with a private exchange. Matthews ignored
that, of course, and came back with a string of
how-long-have-you-been-beating-your-wife questions.

This is all
quite
par for the course, alas. “Catholics” like Matthews and Kennedy
challenging the authority of the bishops to say anything at all in
the political arena is nothing new. And Bishop Tobin, not unlike
other good bishops who have been hamstrung by political
correctness and collegiality, appeared tragically tentative in his
treatment of Patrick Kennedy and in his responses to Chris Matthews.
But isn’t that how it’s been for far too long with our bishops when
it comes to dealing with the “enlightened” Catholic politicians in America who
have never (and will never) let God and his Church get in the way of
their duty as “good Americans”? After all, a young Senator John F.
Kennedy launched himself all the way to the White House by vowing
never to let the Pope tell him what to do.

Hopefully,
solid men like Bishop Tobin will not be discouraged but will also
come to realize that the only way to deal with apostate Catholics is
to expel them. In the case of the “Catholic” Kennedys, Pelosi,
Biden, Matthews and so many others— excommunication would clarify
the Church’s position, reduce the level of national scandal, and
prevent further dalliances in apostasy on the part of other
“Catholic” politicians who might be tempted to believe the Divine Will
of the American People automatically trumps the Divine Will of Almighty God.